It’s not too late to register to vote in Tuesday’s election, even if you missed the Oct. 22 deadline, according to local election officials.

But the sooner it can be done, the easier it will be.

“I would encourage them to come in early,” Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Kelly Sanders said Friday. “I think it will be very busy on Election Day.”

As of Friday morning, she said, there were 78,733 registered voters in the county.

Across the state, residents are registering to vote in record numbers.

“It is nearly unprecedented for California to set a voter registration record in a midterm election,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a prepared statement. “Over 19.6 million Californians are registered to vote—an all-time high. It has been nearly 70 years since we’ve seen a higher percentage of eligible citizens registered to vote for a midterm election. Registering to vote is just the first step in doing your civic duty — if you’re one of the over 19.6 million registered voters in California make sure you cast your ballot by Election Day.”

Here’s what voters need to know for the Nov. 6 election.

Registration

For those who are not registered, you can still do so and that will give you the opportunity to vote with a provisional ballot. To register, go to www.registertovote.ca.gov or go to the Humboldt County Office of Elections at 2426 Sixth St. in Eureka.

On Election Day, the local elections office will have extended hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. But Sanders said there will likely be long lines on Election Day. On Monday, the office is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m.

The office can be reached at 707-445-7481.

Provisional ballots

Those who registered late can cast votes with a provisional ballot. Those ballots can be picked up and submitted at the county elections office.

Where to vote

Polling stations are set up throughout the county. Sanders recommends using a League of Women Voters website called Voter’s Edge — found at votersedge.org/ca — to determine individual voting locations.

Once the address of the voter is entered into the site, the voter’s ballot options come up as well as the local polling location.

Sanders also said the information was mailed to voters.

“When we mailed out our local voter information guide, the information was printed on the back and front cover of the information guide,” she said.

Vote by mail

Voters who are mailing ballots need to have the ballots postmarked by Election Day.

According to Sanders, those ballots must arrive in the elections office by Friday in order to be counted.

Election results

Sanders said the first election results would be available around 8:30 p.m. on election night. The first results will be based on vote by mail ballots counted ahead of the close of polling stations. Later updates will come through the night as the office receives and tallies votes.

For up-to-date election coverage, go to times-standard.com on election night.

Ruth Schneider is the city editor of the Times-Standard and is published in a dozen newspapers in Northern California. She has two degrees in journalism, including a master's degree from Columbia University's School of Journalism. She writes about LGBTQ issues, goings on in Sacramento and covers general news as needed. In her spare time, she yo-yos, reads and spends time on local beaches. She can be found at @RuthOUTspoken on Twitter and by phone at 707-441-0520.